Have You Locked the Castle Gate?: Home and Small Business Computer Security [Paperback]

Brian Shea (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 2002

Most home computer users and small businesses maintain no real, effective security on their Internet-exposed home computers or networks. Have You Locked the Castle Gate? remedies that perilous situation by guiding you through the basics of information security. The book is a friendly, easy, practical guide for every home and small business. Through real-world analogies and step-by-step procedures, Brian Shea shows how to evaluate and handle every contemporary security risk you're likely to face. Shea helps you set priorities for system security, then use the security tools built into Windows - including file and folder permissions, access limitations, personal firewalls, and more. He identifies essential safe computing practices, then walks through securing Windows servers, the Windows registry, TCP/IP connections, email services, fending off viruses, and more. Appendices include detailed Web resource lists, as well as a comprehensive security glossary. The book is a welcomed suvival kit for less-technically oriented people! For every home and small business computer user concerned about protecting their computers, communication, networks, and data.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Is your computer safe? Could an intruder sneak in and steal your information, or plant a virus? Have you locked your castle gate?

This book outlines the fundamental concepts and techniques behind information security that every computer user needs to know.

Primarily geared toward home and small business Windows users, Have You Locked the Castle Gate? is a basic yet highly effective guide to protecting your personal files, fending off viruses and hackers, and purchasing goods and services securely online. It addresses common security issues in a clear, easy-to-understand way that nontechnical users will greatly appreciate.

You will learn about

Basic security concepts and practices for your computer, network, and server.

Authentication and encryption fundamentals. Are users who they say they are?

Defending against hackers, and the reasons why someone would want to hack you.

Viruses, worms, hoaxes, spam, and other nuisances and threats.

The best places to go for additional expert information about Internet security.

And much more.

Woven throughout the text is the instructive story of the Smiths, a nineteenth-century frontier family working hard to protect their home and property from various kinds of intruders. In many ways the issues that they face reflect our contemporary need to protect our computers, networks, data—and selves—on the modern frontier of the Internet.

If you pay bills online, discuss personal matters via e-mail, use software to file your taxes, or just surf the Web, don't leave your castle gate unlocked. Have You Locked the Castle Gate? is a must read for you.

020171955XB04092002

About the Author

Brian Shea is currently the team lead for a Windows security team at one of the nation's largest financial institutions. His duties include securing the bank's Windows systems and helping home users who dial in to secure their own systems. During his ten years in the computer security field, he has written everything from security programs to white papers for management and nontechnical staff. Brian lives near Seattle with his wife and daughter. When not working, he can often be found enjoying the great outdoors in the Pacific Northwest.

020171955XAB04092002

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Pearson Education; 1st edition (April 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 020171955X
• ISBN-13: 978-0201719550
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,521,001 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Computer security for regular folks, April 30, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Have You Locked the Castle Gate?: Home and Small Business Computer Security (Paperback)

Geared for normal people, not techies. Specific and practical steps to take to make your computer secure. Enough technical info to explain WHY without boring the reader. Great book!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good intro to security for management & non-technical users, June 27, 2002

By 

Ben Rothke "Author of 'Computer Security: 20 ... (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Have You Locked the Castle Gate?: Home and Small Business Computer Security (Paperback)

Computer security is not rocket science, but it is often so hard to secure a computer, that is seems like rocket science. Have You Locked the Castle Gate? Home and Small Business Computer Security is a book made for the average user, who may not be so technical, yet wants to have a somewhat secure computer.

The book is short on theory and get straight to the point with specific and practical ways to secure a system.

This book outlines the fundamental concepts and techniques for most users. The book details the most common security issues facing users and small businesses today.

The reader won't be a security guru after reading the book, but will be familiar with concepts such as encryption, authentication, viruses and worms, registry, event logs and more.

Those looking for a to the point book on what they need to know about home and small business security for their computers will find significant value in the book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Effective security for the non-technical user, June 2, 2002

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Have You Locked the Castle Gate?: Home and Small Business Computer Security (Paperback)

Computer security is an area where everyone knows it is important, but almost everyone puts it secondary to the critical functionality. The only times it seems to be critical is after events such as the Nimda or Melissa attacks. I am someone who rarely raises a voice in defense of Microsoft, but even as a monopoly, they must respond to customer desires. And for years, those desires have been for functionality, with only a few people raising the issue of security. Therefore, it can honestly be said that not all of the problems of computer security rest on the expansive shoulders of the group from Redmond.
Now, it appears that everyone from Bill Gates on down to the novice user are beginning to consider computer security to be a far more serious issue. The group targeted by this book is the one on the lower end of the scale. Written for the non-technical user, it is a description of the dangers that lurk in the nether worlds of cyber space and what you can do on your machines to raise the barriers to external penetration. Using only the minimal amount of technical jargon, the authors communicate information on how to do things like change the file sharing settings, alter system permission settings and increase your Internet security. Detailed, clear explanations of software such as virus scanners and firewalls are also given.
The unique feature of the book is the analogy of an individual starting with an individual home and building security fences and solid walls to keep out the wild things that would kill him or his livestock. The story progresses through the development of a town and then a security alliance between several towns. This growing community and the security features that are developed are used as the analogy as the description moves from how to secure an isolated computer to one that is active on the Internet 24/7. The analogy works very well, showing the novice reader where all of the security points fit in as you begin to connect to additional computers.
Viruses and other destructive forms of software survive largely because local users do not perform simple actions to render them inoperable, or reduce their ability to propagate. Therefore, everyone connected to any other computer in any way has a personal and social obligation to do their part in the battle against these forces. In this book, you will learn what the dangers are and how a non-technical person can do their part. Think of it as the cyber equivalent of learning to cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze.